I wrote a few days ago about a Wiccan coven in Ramah, Colorado, stirring up trouble because they wanted to meet to raise money for charity and local Christians couldn't stop them. Now, the hospital they want to raise money for has demanded that their name be removed from all literature for the event - they don't want charity from pagans.

The Colorado Springs Gazette reports:

Memphis, Tenn.-based St. Jude sent festival organizer Jerusha Doucette-Johnson a letter Sept. 23 asking the group to “cease and desist use of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital name.” St. Jude vice president Diane Spears wrote that the organization has no opinion about the coven’s religious beliefs.

“However, your event, regardless of its affiliation with an organized movement or religion, has become politicized and controversial,” Spears wrote. “Under those circumstances, we feel that it is in the best interests of this charity and the children and families it serves not to authorize the use or trademark of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”

Coven leader Sandra Doucette said the St. Jude letter was upsetting. “This was kind of a slap in the face,” she said. “It shouldn’t matter where the money’s coming from. The only people that are getting hurt by it are the kids and the families who needed that money,” Doucette-Johnson said.

It would be wrong if the coven suggested that the hospital were an official sponsor of the event or anything like that, but this doesn’t appear to have been the case. The real story is that because a bunch of narrow-minded, bigoted Christians got upset that Wiccans were holding an event in their town, the hospital withdrew authorization to collection donations for it in order to not be associated with the bad publicity.

So, St. Jude’s hospital doesn’t want to be associated with the bad publicity of Wiccan group being attacked by Christians. They are, however, just fine with being associated with the bigoted, hateful Christians who created the controversy in the first place. The Wiccans didn’t do anything wrong — their “crime” is to exist and to be public about their beliefs. By withdrawing from the event, the hospital is siding with those bigots who object to the presence of Wiccans in their midst.

No matter how often Diane Spears says that the beliefs of the Wiccan coven are not an issue, the fact remains that those beliefs are the issue for the local Christians which the hospital is expressing indirect support for. Had the hospital stuck with the Wiccans, they would have sent the message that the beliefs don’t matter, all that matters is helping the children. By withdrawing from the event, though, they are saying that the beliefs do matter — at least, they matter when the majority religious group dislikes those beliefs enough to cause a fuss.

Thus, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is saying that they care more about avoiding bad publicity with religious bigots than they do about collecting money to help children in need.

 

Quick Poll: Should charities accept the donations of Wiccans, even if Christians get upset?

1. Yes, this is another way Christian bigots marginalize religious minorities
2. No, Wiccans are immoral and sinful. Their donations are tainted
3. I don't know
4. I don't care

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